Food Policy & Planning
NEW! Baltimore City Food Policy and Planning 2022 Accomplishments
American Rescue Plan Act Proposal Approved!
COVID-19 Emergency Food Repsonse
Strategy to Improve Nutritional Security & Minimize Hunger: COVID-19 Emergency Food Response
COVID-19 Council District Food Environment Briefs - Dec 2020
COVID-19 Food Environment Brief - Nov 2020
During COVID-19, the Food Policy Director and team of Food Planners:
- Lead the strategic planning for the food security response
- Conduct mapping and data analysis
- Oversee the produce, grocery, and mixed box strategies and implementation, including logistics, funding, community outreach, and site expansion
- Coordinate with the Emergency Operations Center and state and federal agencies
- Leverage significant public and private funds for food and transportation
- Expedited Online SNAP and prevented 15,000 residents from losing SNAP
- Convene Resident Food Equity Advisors and Food PAC
- Support urban agriculture and local food system resilience
The City continues to identify and assess the needs of residents and communities to leverage resources and implement strategies in the ongoing response of COVID-19. For more information and to find emergency food resources.
Food Policy Leadership and Strategy
The Food Policy and Planning Division is led by the Food Policy Director and staffed by a Food Access, a Food Resilience, and a Food Systems Planner. This division oversees the Baltimore Food Policy Initiative (BFPI), which has three pillars - interagency collaboration, the Food Policy Action Coalition (Food PAC), and Resident Food Equity Advisors (RFEA). Together, these efforts seek to build an equitable and resilient urban food system by addressing health, economic and environmental disparities in areas that have high food insecurity.
FOOD SYSTEMS APPROACH:
- Use policy to create a more equitable food system: By integrating food across government, and engaging in equitable research, strategic planning, and policy co-creation with residents.
- Increase resilience at household, community, and food system levels: By addressing acute food insecurity, building long-term food resilience, and righting power imbalances in the food system.
- Strengthen and amplify the local food economy: By implementing “Good Food Procurement” standards, supporting local food-based businesses, and promoting food recovery.
- Create ag land-use policies that encourage urban farms and local food production: By identifying City-owned land suitable for farming; developing land tenure and pathways to ownership; promoting safe, environmentally sustainable, and socially responsible production; and supporting growers to create financially viable urban agriculture.
Food Systems & Urban Agriculture - The Sustainability Plan